Botanical classification: Pelargoniumxc3x97hortorum (zonal geranium).
Varietal denomination: xe2x80x98Candy Cardinalxe2x80x99.
The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Pelargoniumxc3x97hortorum known by the varietal name xe2x80x98Candy Cardinalxe2x80x99. The new variety was discovered in a selected breeding program in Lompoc, Calif. as Breeder No. 5DG2259-1. The new variety is a result of cross breeding of an unnamed, unpatented plant (breeder no. 1263, female) and xe2x80x98Sassy Dark Redxe2x80x99 (male, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,053). The new variety exhibits similar flower color to the male parent and similar dark leaf color to the female parent. The new variety differs from its parents in that the female parent has a more bluish flower color and the male parent has a lighter green foliage color. The new variety was first asexually reproduced by cuttings in Connellsville, Pa. The new variety has been trial and field tested at Connellsville and has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics and remain true to type through successive propagations.
The cultivar, when grown in a glass greenhouse in Connellsville, Pa. using natural light and temperatures of 60xc2x0 F. night and 68xc2x0 F. day, has a response time of 8 weeks from a rooted cutting to flowering in a 6 inch pot. The response time was determined on plants grown in soilless media employing constant fertilizer 200-250 parts per million of nitrogen and potassium in full light.